Manufacture of armor-plating.



E. FISCHER.

MANUFAGTURE 0F. ARMOR PLATING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, 1912.

1,075,638, Patented Oct. 14, 1913.

Inventor Witnesses Ernst F1scher COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH c0" WASHIN uuuuuuu c4 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

ERNST FISCHER, OF DIETRICHSDORF, NEAR KIEL, GERMANY.

MANUFACTURE OF ARMOR-PLATING,

1 b all whom it may c0nrrer'm' Be it known that I, ERNST Fisonnn, engineer, citizen of Germany, subject of the King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany, residing at Dietrichsdort, near Kiel, in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Armor- Pla ting, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of armor-plating by jointing together individual armor-plates according to a new method.

Armor-plating has heretofore been made on *arships, tor example, in two ways:- Firstly, in the case of armor-belting. the plates were without exception suspended one beside another from the outer sheathings by means of so-called armor-bolts, the edges of the plates abutting one against another. This mode of attachment, however, is obviously connected with various disadvantages inasmuch as, on the one hand, in consequence of the lack of all connection with the adjacent plates the edges readily break oft and fall away when the vertical edges are impacted, and on the other hand, when a projectile impacts full on a plate only the mass of one plate absorbs the kinetic energy of the projectile and therefore more readily breaks away from its bolts and entirely t'alls Off and, lastly, when the described known mode of attachment is employed the armor-belt forming a considerable part of the weight of the ship, does not serve for a stiffener for strengthening the hull longitudinally. Secondly, in barbettes, artillery and conning towers, torpedo-bulkhead plates and the like, the individual plates have either been fitted exactly one in another at the joints and connected with one another by splice-bars or the edges of the plates have been provided with dove-tailed grooves and double dove-tailed bolts carefully trimmed have been fitted into these and the plates clamped together in this manner. \Vhen the work was done well these known methods resulted in reliable joints but they are very costly, The strength and expansive properties of the shrinking material cast or poured into the grooves of the armor plates are unknown and cannot be controlled with certainty after Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 18, 1912.

Patented Oct. 14,1913.

Serial No. 684,486.

the casting in, so that it is not sure what would be the efiect of this shrinking material on the hardened layer of the armor plates. The corresponding properties of the inserted strip of nickel-steel or the like on the contrary are well known. To this end, I connect the abutting edges of adjacent armor-plates by a tension joint by means of a material, say bronze, which clasps undercut parts of the plates and shrinks when it cools.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a sectional elevation showing a tension-joint according to my invention.

Referring to the drawings, the armorplates (Z and e are connected with one another by casting in suitably undercut grooves r, to a dovetailed member 9 which shrinks as it cools and firmly connects the plates in the manner of a tension-joint. The clamp g is here located at the inner side of the plates in order to remain together with the heat imparted to the armor-plates outside the critical zone of the hardened material. A cavity or mold is formed between the armorplates (Z and e and the outside scantling f of the ship by means of wrought iron strips h, and this mold is used for casting the clamp 9. hen cooling, this shrunk clamp becomes fast in the grooves '0, w of the plates (1 and e and forms the tension-joint according to the invention. If one of these tension-joints be employed in the armorplates of the armorbelting in warships not only are the above-mentioned disadvantages avoided, but the advantage is obtained that the armor is utilized for longitudinally strengthening the ship, and in consequence of a corresponding reduction of the other longitudinal connections or bonds longitudinally of the ship a considerable saving in weight can he obtained. It the described tensionjoint be employed with armor-plates connected otherwise by teeth or screws, say in casemates, barbettes, artillery and conning towers, torpedo-bulkhead plates and the like, besides valuable saving in weight a considerable reduction of cost can be obtained.

I claim 1. The combination with two abutting armor plates each provided with an undercut recess, said recesses being arranged outside the critical zone of the hardened material of said plates, and metal cast in said recesses and in the free space between both recesses at the back of both plates for con armor plates each provided with an undercut recess, said recesses being arranged at the back of the adjacent armor plates outside the critical zone of the hardened material of said plates, and metaljcast in said recesses and in the free space between both recesses at the back of both plates for connecting the plates.

3. The combination with two abutting armor plates each provided with an undercut recess said recesses being arranged at the back of the adjacent armor plates outside the critical zone of the hardened material of said plates, a chill forming the back of said armor plates and the outside wall to be protected by said armor plates, and metal Copies of this patent may be obtained for cast in said recesses and the chill, said cast metal connecting both adjacent plates.

4. The combination with two abutting armor plates each provided with an undercut recess, said recesses being arranged at the back of the adjacent armor plates outside the critical zone of the hardened material of said plates, a shrunken clamp cast behind said adjacent plates having hooks anchoring in said undercut recesses of the plates, both adjacent plates being connected by said clamp. I s

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 'my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- Witnesses JULIUS Roman, HUGO LIOHELT.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

